Chasing the Truth
by NatureLover625
Summary: After the MountainClan's leader disappears and StarClan goes silent, the Clan is paranoid and isolated from those they trust. Battling discrimination and taking dangerous risks, it is up to a determined young apprentice to listen for her ancestor's fading whispers, which she must use to uncover the truth and restore her Clan's faith in itself.
1. Chapter 1

"It happened when MountainClan was on their way back from the gathering. They trekked over the rocky ground, silent as the woods in winter. The sparse trees cast long shadows over the moonlit ground. The cats wove silently around them, hurrying back to camp. Truestar was at the front, followed closely by Eaglewhisker, the deputy, and Jadepool, the medicine cat. Truestar leaped up onto the rocky crest they'd just reached, his calico fur blowing in the breeze. He turned to survey his Clan. Satisfied that they were all keeping up, even the apprentices, he jumped down the other side. Just then, there was an earsplitting scream. No one had ever heard anything like it before. The warriors rushed to see what was going on. Truestar was nowhere to be seen! They all scanned the area for a sign of him. No one could see a thing. No one could hear a thing. No one could smell a thing. He'd just… vanished."

Silverkit's deep blue eyes were open wide with awe. "What happened to him?" she asked. Whitebelly looked at his audience of kits. "Well, that's the thing," he told them. "Nobody really knows. It's as if he just disappeared…"

"Now wait a minute," Beesting interrupted. "Eaglestar says that something carried him off." She glanced sharply at her denmate. "You're telling the story wrong."

Whitebelly brushed off Beesting's accusation. "The point is, Truestar hasn't been seen since. You kits asked how he disappeared, and I told ya."

"So what took him?" inquired Rainkit, caught up in the story. Splitkit pricked his ears to listen for more.

"Well," Beesting started, happy with the attention, "no one's certain, but Blackfire says he saw a large, dark shape running off into the night. They think it may have been a fox. Or a badger. Or even a lynx!"

"Whoa…" the kits murmured. They knew that their previous leader had disappeared, but they'd never heard the details. "Were you there when it happened?" Silverkit asked the elders.

Whitebelly shifted his paws. "Well, no… But we've heard the story retold countless times. In fact, I think everyone in the Clan feels as if they were there to witness the event, because we've all heard the tale so often."

Beesting stood up, stretching her back. "Well, that's it for storytime, kits." She nudged the three out of the den. "Why don't you go play outside?"

"Alright," Silverkit mewed as she and her friends left the elder's den. "Thanks for the story!"

The kits bounded over to their favorite playing spot: a hollow log by the entrance to camp. It was perfect for climbing on, and the kits spent most of their day playing there. "Beesting was in such a good mood today," Rainkit observed. "It surprised me."

"Yeah," Splitkit agreed, "She's usually grumpy, especially when we kits are around."

"Well, it was a nice change, don't you think?" Silverkit leapt up onto the log, her tail out to keep her balance.

"Yeah," Splitkit replied.

Rainkit pointed a paw across camp. "Looks like we caught her at just the right time!" One of the apprentices took some fresh bedding to the elders, and Beesting was snapping about how last time, she found a thorn in her nest. "If you try something like that again, it'll be the last bedding you'll ever bring!"

"Aww, poor Mosspaw," Silverkit sympathized. "She didn't even bring the bedding last time."

"Let's invite her to play with us!" Splitkit suggested. "Hey Mosspaw! Wanna play?"

The spotted brown apprentice glanced around to find Eaglestar looking at her sharply. "Sorry Splitkit," she apologized, lowering her head. "I have some stuff to do."

"Maybe later?"

"Um, I don't know," Mosspaw mumbled, and then hurried away.

Splitkit looked crushed. "How come no one ever wants to play with me?"

"We like to play with you," Rainkit reminded him.

"I know," Splitkit crawled into the hollow log. "But everyone else in the Clan seems to prefer that I keep my distance…"

Silverkit swung down from on top of the log and joined Splitkit inside. Rainkit wriggled in beside them. "Is it just me, or does this log seem like it's shrinking?"

With all three of them inside, there was barely enough room to move around. "Yeah," Silverkit mewed. "This log is _definitely_ getting smaller."

A light gray she-cat poked her head into the log. "Ever think that maybe you kits are growing?" she pointed out with a chuckle. "Now, Rainkit and Silverkit, it's time to come back to the nursery." She reached in her paw and pulled out her kits.

"Aww, but we just got here," Silverkit protested.

"Can we just stay a bit longer?" Rainkit pleaded. "Please, Clovertail?"

Clovertail shook her head, casting a wary glance at Splitkit. "Your mother said she's coming for you shortly," she told him. Then she whisked Rainkit and Silverkit away to the nursery.

The den was empty. Clovertail nudged her kits toward their nest. "You know I don't want you two hanging around with that Splitkit," she scolded. "I don't care that he's the only other kit in the nursery. You can play with each other. That's what littermates are for." She started to lick some dirt off Rainkit's cheek.

"Is this because of his paw?" Silverkit asked. One of Splitkit's front paws was torn down the middle, so from far away it looked like he had two thick toes on that foot. But when you got closer, you could see that his paw was just split very severely down the center. Splitkit was learning to cope, though it still hindered his ability to walk and play. Sometimes the apprentices would tease him because of it.

"No," Clovertail said sharply. "This is _not _because of his paw. He couldn't help to be born like that. Neither could his mother."

"Then what's this about? Why can't we play with our friend?"

"You know how I feel about his father," Clovertail paused, searching for the right words. "I just… I don't trust the son of someone who abandoned us."

"Truestar didn't abandon us!" Silverkit cried. "He was attacked and carried off by a lynx or something!"

"Now, now," Clovertail finished grooming Rainkit and moved on to his sister. "Everyone knows that Eaglestar just made that up to stop you kits from asking all those questions. Face the facts: Truestar deserted this Clan. He doesn't deserve to be respected, and neither does his son."

Silverkit gasped. "How can you say those things? Splitkit hasn't done anything to deserve the treatment you're giving him. You can't judge him by what his father was!"

"Don't talk to me like that," Clovertail snapped. "I'm your mother, so you'll do what I say. And if I say that you're not going to play with Splitkit, then _you're not going to play with Splitkit._"

Rainkit shot Silverkit a look that said "You know you can't win." Silverkit knew he was right. But that didn't mean that she was going to give up. So, instead of taking a nap in the nest with her family, the little silver tabby tugged some moss from their bedding and curled up by herself near the entrance. _Splitkit's my friend. I'm not going to mistreat him just because of who his father was._


	2. Chapter 2

When Silverkit woke, the sun was just beginning to rise. She turned away from the bright light that filtered into the den, blinking away sleepiness. After a quick stretch, Silverkit crept past her sleeping mother to the other nest in the nursery. "Psst," she whispered. "Wake up! Let's go play!" Splitkit slowly opened his eyes. Without disturbing his mother, the brown tom kit disentangled himself from the nest. Silverkit had crossed to the den entrance, beckoning to him with her tail. Splitkit, being several moons older than her, traversed the den in just a few bounds. However, he stumbled over his paw at the last moment, crashing into Silverkit. The two kits tumbled out of the den, rolling until they hit the freshkill pile. Giddy with dizziness, they barely noticed Blackfire was in front of them until he spoke.

"Just what do you kits think you're doing?" he questioned. Silverkit and Splitkit shook the dizziness from their heads. The deputy's piercing yellow eyes bored into the kits. Splitkit leapt behind Silverkit, quivering. "Uh, we were just, um…"

"Are you going to answer me or not?" Blackfire took a step forward. The kits trembled, terrified of his ominous presence. His bulky figure completely blocked out the sun. He leaned closer. Silverkit could feel his hot breath on her nose. "I'm waiting…."

"Sorry," Silverkit squeaked, her fur up on end. "We were just playing, and - "

"Blackfire!" Eaglestar called from the other side of camp. She bounded over, dark tabby fur freshly groomed, eyes bright. "I'll deal with these kits. Why don't you organize dawn patrol?"

Blackfire straightened up. "Very well. I trust you'll punish them accordingly." With a sinister smile at the kits, he slunk off towards the warrior's den.

"I saw what happened," Eaglestar told the kits. "I know it was just an accident, but you really should be more careful. You kits have a habit of being inconsiderate."

Silverkit bowed her head. "We're really sorry, Eaglestar." Splitkit nodded his agreement.

"I know," the leader replied. "And I'm sorry that Blackfire scared you. He's not exactly fond of kits, if you know what I mean…"

Silverkit could read the hidden message in her words. _She means he's not fond of Splitkit,_ she realized. _Why does everyone have to be so cruel?_

Eaglestar cleared her throat. "I think your mothers are wondering where you two got to."

Silverkit turned around. Clovertail was heading straight for her, a stern expression on her face. Rainkit followed at her heels.

"Don't you remember what we talked about yesterday?" the pale gray queen demanded. With an apologetic look at Eaglestar, Clovertail picked Silverkit up by the scruff of her neck and hauled her away to the nursery. "You're in deep trouble," Rainkit whispered in his sister's ear as he went to sit next to his mother. Clovertail sat up straight and neatly tucked her tail over her paws. "Now, I know you've had trouble following rules before," she began, her voice level. "So this time, you're not going to leave the den for a quarter moon. Maybe that will teach you to disobey me."

"But Clovertail-"

"No 'buts'," said the queen, rising to her paws. "Now, I'm going out for some freshkill, and you'd better be here when I get back!"

After Clovertail had left, Silverkit flopped down on her paws. "This is going to be so boring!" she cried.

"Yeah," Rainkit mewed, licking his paw. "But at least you're not in as much trouble as Splitkit…"

Silverkit pricked her ears. She could hear some yelling outside. It was Dewfall, Splitkit's mother. "I can't wait till you're an apprentice," she screeched. "Then you'll be out of my fur for good!"

Silverkit cringed. "That's harsh."

Rainkit nodded, returning to groom himself.

A few moments later, Splitkit hobbled in. There were tears in his eyes as he slumped down into his nest. Silverkit wanted to console him, but she knew better. After all, her mother could return any second. She didn't want to be confined to the nursery any longer than she had to.

It wasn't long before Clovertail padded in, a small mouse clutched between her jaws. She cast a hateful glare at Splitkit before settling down to eat. The queen offered some meat to her kits, but Silverkit just turned away. She wasn't going to give in like that.

Shortly after the mouse was reduced to a pile of bones, Silverkit heard Eaglestar yowl for a Clan meeting. The little silver tabby jumped up, excited. Splitkit had already left the den. "Ooh, can we go?" she asked her mother. "Please, please?"

"_We_ can," Clovertail said, indicating herself and Rainkit. "But _you _have to stay here." The light gray queen sauntered out of the nursery. Rainkit, after a quick shrug, followed her. Silverkit hissed in annoyance. _Right after I get in trouble, something big happens. Of course._

Silverkit strained her ears to listen to what was going on, but she couldn't hear anything. Disappointed and bored, she curled up in her nest and tried to get some sleep.

Silverkit woke to a sharp paw jabbing her in the side. She opened her eyes to see Splitkit bending over her. "Oh, hi Splitkit," she yawned, stretching her legs. "What's up?"

"I'm Split_paw _now!" boasted the brown-furred apprentice.

"Way to go!" Silverkit exclaimed, giving her friend a congratulatory lick to the head. Splitpaw blushed, looking down at his paws. "Aww, it was nothin'…"

"No, it's something really important! I'm sorry I missed it…" Silverkit looked around. "In fact, if my mother caught me talking to you right now, I'd probably miss my _own_ ceremony!"

Splitpaw nodded. "I'd better go. Blackfire promised he'd take me out to explore the territory today. And besides, I don't want to get you in any more trouble…"

"It wasn't your fault," Silverkit protested. "_I'm _the one who woke you up, anyway…" She shifted her weight back and forth, embarrassed.

"Splitpaw!" A voice called. Blackfire slipped into the den. "There you are," he spat. "I've been looking all over for you. Didn't I tell you I was going to show you the territory?"

"Um, yeah, sorry I was just about to come," Splitpaw mumbled. With an apologetic glance at Silverkit, he followed his mentor out into the clearing. Silverkit could hear Blackfire's sharp reprimands all the way out of camp.

Just after they left, Clovertail and Rainkit padded into the nursery. The light gray queen cast a suspicious glance over her daughter. "You weren't just talking to Splitpaw, were you, Silverkit?" she asked, her green eyes boring into Silverkit's blue ones.

Silverkit didn't want to lie to her mother, but she sure as heck didn't want to tell the truth. Anxiously searching for another way out, she attempted to change the subject. "So, uh, how was the ceremony?"

It seemed to work. The hardness left Clovertail's eyes as she replied, "Oh, nothing unusual. Just an ordinary apprentice ceremony. Except for one thing – nobody cheered his name at the end. I mean, I understand that some cats don't like him, but it's supposed to be a special moment. He only gets one apprentice ceremony, after all."

"_Nobody _cheered his name?" Silverkit's jaw dropped open in shock. _That's horrible, _she thought.

"You should have seen the look Blackfire was giving him," Rainkit added. "He didn't look too thrilled to be his mentor…"

Clovertail swept her tail over Rainkit's mouth. "Hush," she murmured, "Don't be disrespectful."

"I'm just telling the truth," Rainkit muttered, looking away.

Silverkit couldn't believe what had happened. Why couldn't everyone just forget about who Splitpaw's father was and focus on what Splitpaw could contribute to the Clan?

"Now, now, Silverkit," Clovertail mewed, touching her tail to her daughter's shoulder, "I can practically see the smoke coming from your ears. Nothing you could have done would've changed what happened today. You really should start caring less about other cats' problems. You're a kit. Leave worrying to the older cats. Now, why don't you go outside and play with your brother?"

Silverkit stuck out her bottom lip. "Fine," she grumbled, leaving the den. "But that doesn't mean that I'm done caring about my Clanmates. After all, isn't that what a warrior's supposed to do?"


	3. Chapter 3

For the next quarter moon, Silverkit hardly left the nursery. The only other cats she really saw were her mother and brother. Splitpaw was in the apprentice den so there was no chance of them running into each other. _That's a good thing and a bad thing, _Silverkit thought. _It means that Clovertail won't catch me talking with him, but it also means that we can't play together anymore. _

Silverkit was so bored being confined in the nursery. At least Rainkit was there to play with her, but it wasn't the same. You could play so many more games with three kits instead of two. And it's not like Clovertail would play with them. She wasn't really into the whole thing…

In the beginning of Silverkit's confinement, her father, Duskblaze, came to visit the nursery. They played so many games and had a really good time. But he was always so busy with all of his warrior duties, that he hardly had a break when he could come and see his kits. Silverkit really didn't want him to leave, but he told her he'd be back to visit soon, and to behave for Clovertail. Then he licked the top of her head and left.

Three sunrises later, Silverkit was permitted to leave the nursery. However, that was only so she could go to the medicine cat to get a thorn removed from her paw. "Ow, that hurts!" The little silver she-kit cried. Jadepool had the thorn clenched in her teeth, attempting to pull it out of Silverkit's pad. But it was harder than it looked. "Just stay still," the green-eyed medicine cat mewed as she went in for a second try. This time she was successful, though she did end up halfway across the medicine den. Jadepool spat the thorn out onto the ground shaking her head. "Usually they come out a lot easier," she mumbled under Clovertail's critical gaze. Silverkit had taken to licking the small scarlet drops from her paw. "She's bleeding!" Rainkit exclaimed.

"Isn't there something you can do about that?" Clovertail asked.

"It hurts," Silverkit whined.

"Um, yes," Jadepool jumped up and went over to her herb storage. She rifled through the vast collection of leaves and seeds, returning with a small wad of cobwebs and a few burdock leaves. Rainkit looked on, curious. The medicine cat pressed the cobwebs to Silverkit's paw, holding it there for a few moments. "This will stop the bleeding," she told them. Clovertail nodded, and then asked, "What are the leaves for?"

"That's burdock," Jadepool explained. "The leaves help speed up the healing process and should prevent infection." She removed the cobwebs, all of the blood gone.

"I see," Clovertail mewed. "Well, it looks like everything's under control. Eaglestar said that I could go out for a quick hunt if I wanted to. I need to get back into practice! You wouldn't mind looking after the kits, would you, Jadepool? It'd be so nice to get out and stretch my legs for a while…"

"Um, well, I guess it wouldn't be a problem, as long as –"

"Oh, thank you so much!" And with that, Clovertail bounded out of the den, leaving behind her two kits. Silverkit lurched around, trying to see her mother leave. "Hold your paw out and keep still," Jadepool instructed. She had begun chewing up the burdock leaves and was ready to apply them to Silverkit's injury. "Your mother will be back shortly."

"I don't care if she doesn't come back till sunset," Silverkit mewed. "This is the most freedom I've gotten in days! I could do anything!"

The light ginger medicine cat suppressed a chuckle. "Well, you're bound to be made an apprentice soon, so don't mess it up." She finished coating Silverkit's paw in the slimy green pulp. "Now, go lay in that nest over there for a while." Jadepool nudged Silverkit over towards a pile of moss near the back of the den.

"No! I want this one!" Silverkit twisted around and settled into a nest by the entrance. "It's not like anyone else is in here," she pointed out. Jadepool shrugged. The den had been empty for so long, she was secretly happy to have the kits keep her company. Her apprentice was sometimes there, but he wasn't very friendly and preferred collecting herbs outside.

Rainkit had wandered over to Jadepool's medicine supply. The white and gray striped kit had a plump red berry hooked in his claw. "What's this one do?" he asked, tilting his head. Jadepool gasped. She shot across the den and took the berry from the kit, faster than they'd ever seen her move before. She shoved the berry back into her supply area and covered it up with other herbs. "Haven't you ever heard 'Curiosity killed the cat'?" she snapped.

Silverkit scrunched up her nose. "What does that mean?" she asked.

Jadepool whipped around to face the other kit. "It means _some _secrets are best left kept," she snarled, her tail quivering. Before the kits could question the medicine cat further, Eaglestar came into the den. Jadepool swiftly collected herself. "I heard about Silverkit's paw," the leader meowed. Then, crouching down in front of Silverkit, she asked, "Feeling better, little one?"

Silverkit looked into the she-cat's concerned yellow eyes. "I'm much better now, thank you."

Eaglestar stood up and faced Jadepool once more. "I hope I didn't inconvenience you when I told Clovertail you'd look after the kits. She's just been so grumpy lately, and I figured a good hunt would cheer her up."

"No, no, it's fine," Jadepool insisted. "They're keeping me company. Aren't you, kits?"

"Yep," Silverkit and Rainkit chorused. Rainkit started swatting at his sister's tail, much to her annoyance. But the older cats ignored them. Eaglestar and Jadepool exchanged a knowing glance. "It's time," the leader murmured. Jadepool nodded. "I figured you'd say as much."

A sharp cry from Silverkit broke their concentration. "Ouch, Rainkit! Stop biting my tail!"

Eaglestar shook her head, a small smile dancing on her lips. "So innocent," she murmured.

"What was that?" Jadepool mewed.

"Nothing." Eaglestar assured her. "Now, let's go and get this over with."

"It's definitely time," Jadepool agreed as she and the leader left the den.

Silverkit looked at her brother. "What was that all about?"

"I don't know…" he admitted, drawing his tongue across his chest.

"Well, don't just sit there!" Silverkit cried, jumping up. "Let's go find out!" She paused at the entrance, waiting for Rainkit to catch up.

"I'm not sure we should be doing this," he told her. "Clovertail said for us to stay here till she comes back…"

"Oh, quit your worrying," Silverkit insisted. "They're just out in the clearing. It looks like a Clan meeting. We should be able to hear them from here, anyway."

Rainkit sidled up next to his sister. They peered out of the den, surveying the crowd of cats that had gathered. They spotted Clovertail, a vole clasped between her jaws. "She must have just gotten back," Silverkit inferred as she watched her mother settle down next to her Clanmates.

"Yeah, it's a good thing we didn't leave the den, isn't it?"

"I suppose…" Silverkit sniffed, knowing her brother was right. She pricked her ears. "Now, quiet! Eaglestar's starting to speak!"

Straining their hearing, the kits could just make out what their leader was saying. "…Some very bad news. We've been waiting for the right time to tell you all, but we can't wait any longer. So here it is, straight from our medicine cat: StarClan's gone silent."

Gasps echoed throughout the Clan. Clovertail nearly choked on her vole. Swanwing had stopped grooming her flawless white fur. The apprentices had ceased their whispering. Even the birds had stopped chirping.

Jadepool cleared her throat nervously. She stood up to speak. "We simply had to tell you guys. We couldn't put it off any longer. At the next gathering we will have to tell the other Clans. It was only right for MountainClan to find out before everyone else, though."

Beesting's raspy voice cut through the air. "How long has it been since StarClan has sent you a message, Jadepool?"

The medicine cat looked down."I haven't heard from them since, um, you know. Since Truestar disappeared."

"That was moons ago! How could you have kept this a secret for so long?" Pinestrike demanded, shoving his way to the front of the crowd. "We should have known about it as soon as you knew!"

A few yowls of agreement rose up out of the cluster of cats. Eaglestar raised her voice over the noise. "We didn't want to scare anyone," she explained. "It was with the Clan's best interests in mind that I made this decision. Now, don't go around getting all paranoid that our ancestors have abandoned us. _We'll guide ourselves from now on_."


End file.
